@RufustheFloralmissingreindeer
There was/is a problem with stab vests being designed purely to fit the male form and therefore not fitting and not protecting females as they should
Yes they were too short if I remember correctly
As the stab vests are made for the default male, they simply don't fit women properly at all. I found some interesting details in the 'Personal protective equipment
and women' - TUC report (2017) -
'Police body armour
Body armour issued to women police
officers is a major concern. This is despite
regular complaints being made over the
past 20 years. In 1997 a women police
officer was stabbed and killed while using a hydraulic ram to enter a flat. She had
removed her body armour because it was
too difficult to use the ram while wearing it. Two years later a woman police officer
disclosed she had to have breast reduction
surgery because of the health effects of
wearing her body armour. After the case
was reported another 700 officers in the
same force came forward to complain about the vest. Over 20 years after complaints were first made, women officers are still reporting problems. This is a selection of complaints received:
“For a long time our uniform has never fitted correctly as we appear to have
hips and breasts. Who would’ve
thought? My vest is doubled as a hand
warmer during the cold months as the
breast area padding is so roomy. The
actual vest sits on my kit belt which in
turn bruises my hips, especially when
standing for long periods of time on an
operation. I cannot be alone in this.”
“I have had similar issues with my stab
vest. I have been having regular sports
massages due to problems with my
back and IT band in my leg. I am told
by my physio that my stab vest and kit
belt is the main culprits due to the way
pull on the shoulders and the vest
pushes down the belt. My stab vest also sits on my belt causing the belt to
rub uncomfortably making my hips
sore and often bruised after a long
shift.”
“I’ve actually had physio due to the
issues with my stab vest sadly. I took
my stab vest in to show them and they
were horrified and felt they are terrible
for posture. I get sore hips where the
belt and equipment rub, leaving red
marks. I don’t have the joy of the vest
being roomy, in fact, mine makes me
feel incredibly squashed in the chest
area even though it is shaped. They
seem to be one size fits all in the chest
which clearly isn’t the case!”
“My stab vest usually chokes me when
sitting in the Police vehicle. It rides up
to my chin. Yes the stab vest only acts
as sweat box in the summer and a
heater in the winter. As far as being
something to protect me against a
knife, there are plenty of areas
accessible to anyone who wanted to do
serious harm. It sits on my chest,
meaning I can fit my hand up through
the bottom of the vest. I find that, as a
result, it doesn’t distribute the weight
evenly, giving me back pain if I have to
stand for long periods of time. It also
comes up far too short. All I can truly
say is that, I have suffered aches on my
torso and back area from stab vests
and more than likely due to the fact
that I am not flat chested and also have
had children and therefore my body
has been probably affected by child
bearing. I certainly agree that when we
wear such heavy and needed PPE that
it should be properly fitted and suitable
to individuals if not at least suitable for
the female body shape.”
“My vest is all loose above the breast
area and towards the shoulder, so
loose it sometimes bows out! The vest
also has large areas uncovered
underneath my arms as it sits quite low
and butts up against my tack belt and
equipment. It also infuriates me that
the epaulettes made for stab vests are
so big. Mine have to be folded under
on the button side which is very
uncomfortable. If this is not done I
have two large ‘handles’ by which to
grab my vest and therefore…me!”
“I would describe my stab vest as
similar to a crop top. It is not designed
to fit my breasts and despite numerous
attempts to adjust it to fit it still
doesn’t. There is no side protection at
all and the gap left at the top above my
breasts is large enough to fit another
pair of breasts. When I sit in the car or
on a chair the stab vest rises up and I
end up looking like I’m wearing a
tortoise shell. This leaves both my hips
and neck sore. Wearing it for a full shift
causes me to feel sharp pains in my
back for hours after I take it off and my
breasts feel sore from being squashed
for anything up to 12 hours. The only
good point about it is that it keeps my
hands warm in the winter.”
“We don’t need to be Barbified, just have the same gear as the men, but with an adjustment to allow a proper fit…”